


Unofficial

by lanalucy



Series: Home Is Where the Heart Is [2]
Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Child Abuse, Cross-Posted on LiveJournal, F/M, Friendship, Mother-Son Relationship, No Sex, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-10 02:36:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1153756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanalucy/pseuds/lanalucy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No prompt.</p><p>Thanks to newnumbertwo for the beta and for the title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unofficial

Karl rolled over and buried his nose in Kara’s hair. He pulled her in tighter and she whimpered. It was that sound which woke him up. The cold breeze raised the hair on his arm and he pulled the blanket back over both of them, curling his body around hers. She cried out again in her sleep.

He laid back away from her and ran his palm carefully down her arm and over the rest of her body, noting the places where she flinched or made pained noises. He sat up onto his elbow and looked at her face. She had something matted in her hair and a scrape on the part of her cheek and chin he could see.

He carefully separated himself from Kara and rolled off the bed before padding out of his room down the hall. He opened his parents’ room a crack and called out softly, “Mom?”

As he expected, she was instantly awake. “Karl? What is it? Something wrong with Kara?”

“Yeah. Kara.”

She was out of the room almost before he saw her move, guiding him down the hall toward the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s banged up. Worse than usual.”

“Show me.” She grabbed a small flashlight from the junk drawer and followed him.

When they got to his room, she told him to wait outside, not that he was going to listen.

She put up a hand to block the light from the flashlight and examined Kara’s head.

 _That’s blood! What the frak did her mother do this time?_ He grabbed the back of his mom’s t-shirt in his fist.

His mom flashed the light very quickly over Kara’s face, patted her shoulder, then backed out of his room, pushing Karl out behind her.

“I told you to stay in the hall, Karl.”

“Sorry mom.” 

“Haven’t I taught you not to say things you don’t mean, young man?”

Karl looked at his feet. “Sorry mom.

“When did she get here?”

“I don’t know. I fell asleep early. I told her a while back that next time her mom locked her out, she could climb in the window.”

“How often does her mother lock her out, Karl?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t even know she was doing it, but Kara let it slip that the manager at that sleazy place on Morton lets her clean up the common areas to pay for a room sometimes. That’s why I told her that I would leave my window open from then on, just in case.”

She pulled him into a hug, laughing to herself at how much taller than her he was. “Karl, baby -”

“Moooom.”

“Son, I will call you whatever the hell I want to call you. So, _baby_...you did the right thing. I would have liked to have some advance notice, but I’m glad she has a safe place to be. She’s always welcome here. Honestly, if I didn’t think she’d run screaming from the house, I’d just give her a key, for the gods’ sake.”

“Does she look okay?”

“You’re right. It’s worse than usual. It’s a lot of blood. Head wounds bleed more, so I really can’t say for sure without cleaning her up. She may have a concussion.”

“If she found out I woke you up, she’d never come back here, mom.”

Antonia sighed. “I’d rather she always know she can come here. She’s got nowhere else to go.”

“Can’t we do anything, mom? I know Kara gets all weird about her mom, but can’t we get somebody to make her mom leave Kara alone?”

“Honey…” She shook her head. “Not without Kara’s cooperation. As long as Kara refuses to tell anybody the truth, there’s nothing anyone can do. Not officially.”

“What’s that mean? Not officially?”

“Forget I said it, son. There’s clean clothes on top of the dryer. Get something that’ll fit Kara so she’s got clothes for after she showers. I’ll remind your sisters that it’s supposed to be normal to see Kara at breakfast.” She started back toward her bedroom. “And check her clothes while she’s in the shower, Karl. If there’s blood on them, soak them in cold water before you put them in the washer.”

“Okay.”

“Karl?” She waited for him to turn around. “She needs to feel safe. No monkey business. And it’s okay if she sleeps in.”

Karl blushed and hoped his mother didn’t notice, but she was already at her bedroom door. She turned to smile at him before she closed the door behind her. He got the clothes out of the laundry room, went back to his bedroom and crawled back in with Kara, hugging her as tight as he could without hurting her. He laid there for a while wondering about his mother’s ‘not officially’ comment, before sleep overtook him again.


End file.
